KU’DAMM 59 • BERLIN
★★★★★☆
Photo: Sunstroem
REVIEW KU’DAMM 59: BERLIN ROCKS!
The rock’n’roll musical Ku’damm 56 about new beginnings in post-war Berlin danced its way into the hearts of audiences and has sold close to half a million tickets since its premiere in 2021 with performances all over Germany.
The sequel Ku’dam 59 is a dazzeling display of great music, powerfully choreographed dance numbers, catchy comic performances, beautiful, lyrical stage images, singers with attitude and an ensemble that shines with stage power.
GOT TO SEE THIS was invited to the world premiere at Berlin’s Stage Theatre des Westens. A top hyped event with the big premiere draw of VIPs and celebs from media and showbizz who gave the show a flying start in the packed hall.
A large-scale promoted, high end media circus that testifies to the enormous impact of the Ku’damm story and its ability to frame a time and a mindset that so many Germans can mirror themselves in, for better or worse.
Photo: Dominic Ernst
KUDAMM is originally a three-season TV series (in Danish, The Girls From Berlin) adapted into a musical by hit composers Peter Plate/Ulf Leo Sommer and author Annette Hess. The trio were also behind the best-selling hit musical Romeo & Juliet/Liebe’s Alles.
Ku’dam 56 twisted directly into the rock’n’roll era, where a new generation had to challenge the starched morals and rigid social rules of the old.
A vibrant, extroverted rock’n’roll show, where the 59′ sequel has turned the energy a little more inwards. With an increased focus on the characters’ intricate relationships and life’s eternal struggle with love and conventions.
Photo: Dominic Ernst
Behind the scenes lurk women’s liberation, a budding peace movement, political oppression and ostracized homosexuality – but don’t worry – it’s not Ipsen, and it’s not a social realist slow-burner that rolls across the stage! Ku’damm 59 manages to keep the balance between serious themes and elementary, well-oiled, fast-paced entertainment at a high musical level.
The musical runs smoothly with a mix of strong rock songs and beautiful ballads such as Spring in Berlin in a lyrical setting of open umbrellas as an old love flares up at the wrong time and place.
The opening number Ich Versprech Dir (I Promise you) is a luminous hymn with beautifully cut lyrics in a tremblingly beautiful overture. It’s a bit pocket philosophical, but it hits the nail on the head. Enjoy it on You Tube.
What you want, you can’t have.
What you need doesn’t exist.
What you have, you don’t want
What you love, you don’t feel
What you’re looking for is not enough
But I promise to love you,
even if you don’t see me.
At the opposite end of the scale, I was laughing out loud during the slapstick casting sequence that leaves a chorus line of injured dancers in casts, collars, crutches and head bandages.
The band, which is skilled and effectively integrated on stage, plays with a killer, heavy beat that really gets the party crowd going. Berlin rocks!
Photo: Jörn Hartmann
The whole thing has the charitable feel of a happy ending with the entire cast chilling in bed as a celebration of love, community and tolerance, while a giant replica of the iconic peace sign is lowered onto the stage to irresistibly moving cheers. We could all do with a long walk on Liebmichallee, which is one of the key songs of the musical.
So far, only the first two seasons of the TV series (K56 and K59) have been adapted into a musical, while K63 is not currently on the drawing board as a stage version. However, it is rumored that screenwriter Annette Hess is working on a sequel to the film trilogy. Filming for Ku’damm 77 is scheduled to begin in early 2025.
Five stars from GOT TO SEE THIS to Ku’damm 59, which is a strong new addition to the German musical scene and definitely worth a visit on your next trip to Berlin.
